Bragi and the Beast
by yayhodr
Summary: when his younger sister, the only family he's ever had, ends up imprisoned by a terrifying beast, Anders takes her place without a second thought. What he doesn't expect, is to discover a destiny he didn't know he had. Colin/Anders. Onesided Anders/Natalie Mather. Beauty and the Beast AU.


Once upon a time, in a long forgotten land, there was a castle, inhabited by gods in mortal forms, and owned by Colin Gunderson, a prince who had become a god upon his 21st birthday, like most of the inhabitants of the castle. Colin, however, was selfish, and harsh, but also reclusive, keeping to himself and only appearing from his west wing at meal times.

The castle sat on a cliff, overlooking the ocean to the north, and a small village to the west. Surrounding it on all sides, however, was a vast forest, that had often been rumored to be enchanted by the villages of Havet.

There were often terrible, raging storms near the castle that shook the windows and rattled the doors, terrifying the inhabitants as they waited out the storms. Colin's 39th year was marked by particularly bad storms, and the gods and goddesses hardly left the castle for fear of being swept away. Johan, the human incarnation of the god Njord, kept the seas as calm as he could, but even he could not control the seas fully. Not until someone became Odin and they found Frigg.

One night, as a storm raged, the worst they'd ever lived through, there was a knock on the door. Afraid that it might be one of the gods or goddesses that did not inhabit the castle, Colin answered the doors against the others' better judgement. It was not a goddess, but rather, a small, rather unfortunate looking old woman who didn't smell particularly good. In her hand, she held a single, deep red rose.

"Will you allow an old woman to take shelter?" She asked. "I do not have anything to give you, only this rose," she said, holding the rose out.

Colin, however, refused her entrance. She was not a goddess, and she wasn't like the beautiful men and women he brought into his bed. He ridiculed her instead, mocking her physical appearance with a smug smile, before moving to shut the door, telling her there was no room, although there was plenty.

She stopped him. "You should not be so quick to judge people based on their appearances," she told him. "True beauty comes from within, and you are a fool to think otherwise."

He turned her away again, refusing to allow her shelter. He did not like to be told when he was wrong for he was proud and arrogant, thinking only of himself, and not even of the gods, goddesses and deities-to-be who were under his care. He was also mean, quick to anger, and was to no small degree, prone to madness.

"Very well," the old woman, and she removed her cloak, instantly transforming into a beautiful woman, who Colin instantly recognized as Agnetha, the enchantress who wandered the forest. "You have no kindness or love in your heart, and you care nothing for the troubles of others. You do not know how to love, and you do not care to try," she said, ignoring the man's pleas for forgiveness. "You will be punished for your cruelty," she said.

Before Colin could argue further, he was transformed into a beast, a foot taller than he was before, with thicker hair, sharp teeth, solid black eyes, bulging muscles, and scars across his face.

But her enchantment did not end there. All the other gods and goddesses in the castle, despite not being involved, were changed into household items, even the youngest inhabitants, those who had not yet turned 21. Save for one. Johan, the god of the sea, had not been within the castle, nor technically within the grounds, and was not turned, instead, escaping to a village far away, running when he saw several flashes of lightning strike the castle..

The enchantress placed one last spell on the beast and his castle. "You will not age, no one in this castle will age, until you fall in love. But you must fall in love with another of your kind, and they must love you back, within 6 weeks of you loving them. This person will be destined to set you free from your enchantment, but it will not be ensured. For one of your kind, the sea god, escaped from this fate, and it will be his offspring to save you and teach you how to love, but they will have their own free will, so you should tread carefully."

This confused the former prince. The sea god had three sons, Mikkel, Ty, and Axl, and they had not escaped Colin's punishment, a fact he could quickly confirm with a simple look, as Mikkel had become a clock, Ty, a candle holder and Axl, a chipped cup. "No, it will not be them," she said, following his gaze. "It will be a fourth child. Be wary of who you mistreat, prince," she said, and with that, she was gone.

The prince retreated into his castle, and neither him, nor his companions, were seen for many years. A hundred years passed, and the prince thought that for sure the sea god would have died by now, and any children he would have had would be old by now, and he fell into despair, knowing he was stuck that way forever, and so he locked himself in his private wing, with only an enchanted mirror and the occasional visit from his co-inhabitants to keep him occupied. and on display, was the rose that she had offered him, frozen in time until the day he met the person who would say him.

But that was not the case. For the enchantress had left one detail out- while she had spared the sea god from the fate of becoming a household object, she had suspended his aging, and he had sailed, for years, and years, until settling in a large city, with a wife who was of the greek line of gods, and they had two children. and then, once the older child, a boy, was old enough to care for his younger sister, both the sea god and his wife abandoned them.

But destiny intervened, and the brother and sister moved to the sleepy village of Havet, less than a days ride away from the very castle that the prince, and their three brothers, lived in.

and that, is where the story starts.

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AN: This is a prologue. I'll probably post chapter 1 within a week.

Remember, reviews make me happy, and feedback inspires me :) I'd love to know if you like it.


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